


Dormant

by lpmc94



Series: Jace's Adventures [8]
Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-01
Updated: 2014-07-01
Packaged: 2018-02-06 23:48:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1877082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lpmc94/pseuds/lpmc94
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Follows my previous fic, Devotion --- The group continues their trek into the Deep Roads and stumbles upon something truly terrifying...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dormant

**Author's Note:**

> This is a follow up from my previous fic, Devotion. It won't make much sense unless you read it first.

  
    They traveled in silence, out of respect for the trial they had just undergone. Varric, the normally jovial dwarf, was too quiet, lost in a memory that haunted his dreams. Jace walked quietly beside him, giving Varric the comfort of his friend’s presence. The Inquisitor kept one eye on Dorian who still walked a shade too slowly, magic entirely drained from sealing away the demon of devotion. Blackwall walked in the front, using his senses to direct the group away from any encroaching darkspawn. Bull brought up the rear, eyes constantly vigilant. The tunnel that they traversed never seemed to end, and it only appeared to go deeper and deeper down into the Deep Roads. Jace was so focused on keeping an eye on Dorian and Varric, that he ran smack dab into Blackwall’s back. They had reached an end to the tunnel. Startled, he tried to see what Blackwall had stopped for, and was shocked into silence.  
    

    The group now stood upon a great stone balcony, which ringed an immense cavern. Several hundred feet lay between the balcony and the floor below. On the floor lay a platform that sat against the wall of the cavern. Atop the platform was a throne, in which sat a terrifying creature. Gray and leathery skin coated the monster, spindly arms grasping the sides of the throne. It was wearing what appeared to be the remnants of mage robes. Its head was crowned by a series of bony ridges that resembled a diadem. However, the monster appeared to be unresponsive, either unconscious or sleeping. Upon closer inspection, Jace saw that the creature’s arms were bound by some sort of restraints. Faint sigils could be seen along the manacles, a binding spell the likes of which was well beyond Jace’s abilities. Constant power pulsed throughout the room, enough to make both Dorian and Jace very nervous.

  
    Inspecting the rest of the floor below, the men saw a rather large pentagram, drawn in a dark red, almost black substance, in front of the throne. At each point of the star lay a dead man or woman. All of them carried griffon-winged staves and wore Grey Warden regalia. Immediately, Jace understood what he was seeing before him. A creature out of legend, a myth, a cautionary tale to warn mages of the consequences to their great power. Fear struck him like a bucket of ice water, his body instinctively preparing itself for a battle.

  
    Jace turned to Blackwall, only to see the man ashen-faced and speechless at the sight of his brethren’s sacrifice.

  
    “Is that a—?” Jace queried.

  
    “Yes. One of the first. In fact, if what I heard is true, this is the first of them all,” Blackwall quietly rumbled. “I was never told where this one was imprisoned, but it appears we stumbled upon it by sheer dumb luck.”

  
    The Inquisitor felt a tug on his elbow, to find Varric looking at him earnestly.

  
    “Jace, we need to go. Now,” the dwarf whispered fervently.

  
    Looking at his friend’s worried face, Jace quickly motioned to the others, and the group silently made their way around the circular balcony, heading towards the exit on the other side. As they reached the other end, the others in the group made their way up the stairs. For some reason, Jace’s mark began to burn as he reached the stairwell. The Inquisitor turned, only to see the creature below eerily turn its head in Jace’s direction. Even worse, the darkspawn’s lips curved into a smile. Its eyes were still closed, as if it were dreaming within deep slumber. And though the seals on the manacles still held, Jace knew that this darkspawn, this former magister, could sense the Inquisitor, even while trapped in dreams.

  
    Unsure of what to do, Jace ultimately chose to follow his friends up the long stairway, where a brief hint of light greeted them at the end of yet another long tunnel.They stumbled out into a burst of sunlight. All of the men dropped to their knees, blinded but happy to see the sun after so many days. Jace straightened, and marveled at the beautiful landscape around them. He felt Dorian come beside him, and a lithe, muscular arm snaked around his waist. The Inquisitor let his head lean on his magister lover, taking a moment to catch his breath and forget the horror of what he had seen below.

  
    The group of companions had entered a small valley, framed by vast cliffs. The sounds of rushing water made them aware of several large waterfalls which emptied into several enormous pools of clear, blue water. Bright green moss hung on several stone obelisks that stood proud and tall. At the far end of the area, a great door awaited. The group sat down, taking the time to rest briefly. Blackwall and Bull both chose to doze for a time, while Varric kept an eye on the exit they had just left. Jace and Dorian sat quietly together against a small tree, hands bonded, trying to soak up the sunlight. Nearly a week without sun had left them all very tired.

  
——————  
    Several hours later, Jace decided to do a little exploring of the area. He waded through a large pool of water, Dorian by his side, to reach one of the tall pillars, of which there were seven. The mage reached to brush away some of the moss. Flowery glyphs covered every inch of the stone pillar, a script that Jace had never encountered before. Dorian’s confused visage echoed his lover’s lack of knowledge.

  
    Left curious, Jace released a small bit of power out of palm, trying to discover a bit of monuments’ nature. Instead of seeing what spells comprised the obelisk, Jace only saw power, power beyond his mere mortal comprehension. The man found himself utterly overwhelmed and almost lost to the oceans of energy that lay within that one stone pillar. Forcibly ripping himself away, Jace caused a backlash that sent his body flying.

  
    Unfortunately, this caused him to land in a nearby pool of mud. He landed face first, nearly knocking himself unconscious from the force of the blast. Jace wearily got to his knees, to the sounds of greatly restrained laughter. He wiped the mud out of his eyes to see Iron Bull roaring with laughter while Dorian and Varric were on the ground cackling. Even Blackwall was laughing at his leader’s misfortune. The Inquisitor was absolutely covered in mud. Feeling a tad annoyed, Jace sent out a small wave of force, enough to catch all of them off guard. Timed perfectly, the other four members were blown into the water, getting them entirely soaked. Now it was Jace’s turn to start laughing uncontrollably. Dorian’s mustache was wilting, Blackwall’s beard was suitably drenched, and Varric glorious chest hair (head out of the gutter, Jace!) was utterly damp.

  
    Ignoring the dirty looks he got, Jace turned to see the obelisks begin to glow, a red light, one that seemed to be…a warning. His power having activated the monuments, Jace saw the door at the end of the area glow a deep blue, with green sigils crisscrossing across the surface to create a six-pointed star. Dorian came to stand beside his lover, and both stood in awe of the door. With the awakening of its magic, a supernatural wind flowed outward, nearly knocking the two mages off of their feet. Both of their senses were running on overload, completely overwhelmed by the amount of magic held in that one door. Jace recovered, somewhat stunned. He approached the door warily. This door had been locked by the most powerful magic he had ever seen. The sigils glowing on the structure were old, far older than anything within several millennia. They were remnants of magic from an age long past.

  
    Jace knew better than to probe the door’s magic as he had the obelisk. It would more than likely kill him to touch that much magical energy. A low humming sound was now audible, reflecting the ambient magic now dancing through the air. The group of five grew close together to discuss their next move.

  
    “Any ideas?” Jace polled.

  
    “I could…smash it down?” Bull half-jokingly replied.

  
    “I doubt it, my horned friend,” Dorian responded. “Jace, I could summon a shade or two?”

  
    “No, I don’t want to risk summoning a creature into an area this saturated with magic. It might mutate the entity into something uncontrollable,” Jace replied.

  
    “Fine, my love. But what do you suggest?” Dorian asked.

  
    Jace took a few steps closer to peer at the sigils, and suddenly his legs wouldn’t stop walking towards the door. Of its own accord, the man’s right hand raised, his mark pointed towards the star. He started to shout, very frightened by both his lack of motor control as well as the magical door looming before him. A glyph of paralysis slammed down on Jace, only to shatter as the mark glowed with fell green light. He heard Dorian’s shout of alarm. Then, he felt both Bull and Blackwall grab on to him, trying to slow him down. But it was to no avail. As his feet dragged Jace closer and closer to the door, the greater the temperature seemed to increase. Sweat rolled off the man in waves, as his right hand reached out to touch the structure, palm pressed within the center of the star. And time stopped.

  
    A concussion of air blasted them all backward, the skin of Jace’s hand nearly burned off as he too was flung back. His whole entire body was covered in smoke rising up from his singed form in small wisps of grey air. The man felt strong arms lifting him up, so that he could stand.

  
    Jace looked up at the door, only to see a blazing green palm emblazoned within the center of the star. A loud sound began to emit from the door, a vibration that sounded oddly musical, almost like the tone from an enormous bell. At the same time, the sigils began to slowly slither across the surface of the entrance, giving a sense of unfurling or receding. As the long note continued to echo throughout the area, the sigils moved until there was practically nothing left upon the door. With a final brilliant flash of silvery green light, the door slowly opened, silent and foreboding.

  
    Jace slowly strode forward to take the lead, lighting up his dragon bone staff, letting its green glow lead the way. Dorian's silverite staff took up its own azure glow. As they entered, a great gale seemed to spill out of the gateway, buffeting the party. The group slowly ventured forth into the darkened area, being buffeted every now and then by the strange winds. As they progressed down a dark tunnel, strange things began to happen. The glow from the staves began to flicker oddly, their lights distorting in weird ways. As they walked, their footstep began to slow, as if they were walking through a thick swamp. Quiet rustling noises sounded throughout the tunnel, echoing constantly and in time with the strange wind that kept blowing. Jace called a quick halt.

  
    “What the hell is going on?” Jace asked incredulously, his voice echoing wildly. “Dorian, did we slip into the Fade when I wasn’t paying attention?”

  
    “I have not a clue, my dear. Wherever we are has elements of both the Fade and reality. It is the both Fade, and it is not,” Dorian replied.

  
    “And what the hell is that supposed to mean?” Jace asked snappishly.

  
    “It means that I don’t have a damned clue, Jace,” Dorian sniped, equally irritated at the situation.

  
    “Boys,” Blackwall quietly rumbled. “Enough arguing. Focus on getting us out of here alive.”

  
    “Dammit, fine,” Jace quipped waspishly.

  
    The group came to a sharp turn in the tunnel, and made their way past it. As they did, Jace felt a cold greasy energy slither down his spine, before being blinded by a brief flash of light as well as feeling another gale of supernatural wind. When he opened his eyes, Jace wasn’t in a tunnel anymore. As a matter of fact, he didn’t know where the hell he was.

  
    The mage found himself in a small, circular garden, no companions to be seen. A fountain burbled quietly, while the stars above quietly twinkled in a night sky completely alien to Thedas. The night glimmered in a strange array of deep purples and greens, somehow seamlessly intertwined with a blackness darker than the void. And suddenly, Jace was not alone. A man sat quietly on the fountain, watching him with interest.

  
    The tall man wore regalia of another age, an era long past. He wore armor like none Jace had ever seen. It was put together in such a way as to be almost…mage-like. The armor’s color seemed to shift in time to the color of the night above, from deep purple to black to emerald green. A long cape of silver adorned the man’s shoulders. As Jace neared him, the stranger rose, coming to rest nearly a foot taller than Jace’s own six feet. Long black hair was bound in a silver circlet, which framed a set of handsome violet eyes. The man appeared to be the spitting image of an ancient lord.

  
    “Who are you?” Jace asked.

  
    “You are the intruder here. I should be asking who you are.” the lord replied with a beautiful, silvery voice.

  
    “Fine. My name is Jace,” the Inquisitor begrudgingly divulged. “Who in the Maker’s name are you?”

  
    “You may call me Luc. Now, what are you doing here?

  
    “Where is here?” Jace replied incredulously.

  
    At this, the armored man began to smirk in a rather devilish manner.

  
    “Betwixt and between, both within the Void and within the mortal plane. For neither realm alone can hold me, so I was trapped within both.”

  
    “Trapped?” Jace began to feel extremely nervous. He unconsciously began to step away from the entity.

  
    “Yes, trapped.” Here, the man’s tone turned poisonously amused. “Bound within a prison made of the Fade and of reality. As I am a being of both worlds, so too were both worlds needed to imprison me.”

  
    Jace began shaking violently in fear. His voice came out in a whisper, “…why?”

  
    “Because my brothers and I dared to speak against the Powers That Be. And so all seven of us were locked away as punishment.” The man had begun to circle Jace, the way a great predator prepares to swoop on its prey. “It is not yet my time to be freed, although you came close, little mortal. As my eldest brother was the first, I shall be the last one freed from my chains.”

  
    “Who are you?” Jace’s voice trembled.

  
    “Have you not guessed, child? Use that beautiful mind of yours. Remember your Chantry’s precious warnings and say the words…” the man whispered. Now he stood behind Jace, lips beside the man’s ear.

  
    Jace was so scared that his words came out in a panicked rush. “The Old Gods will call to you…”

  
    The man behind him loosed a soft sigh and pressed a kiss to the Inquisitor’s neck. He came in front of Jace once more and smiled beatifically down at him.

  
    “…from _our_ ancient prisons will _we_ sing,” Luc completed.

  
    “Not Luc. Lus—” Jace started.

  
    And the world exploded. The landscape around the two withered and shattered within seconds, the dream fading away.

  
    Jace blinked, finding himself in an immense cavern lit by great torches. Also, he was face to face with a dragon, one the likes of which he had never seen. It was easily the size of a small city, its size nearly beyond belief. Large chains constrained the limbs, arms, legs, and wings colored with scales of amethyst, emerald, and obsidian, just like the colors Luc wore. The manacles held seals like those on the door leading to the prison, however there were dozens now restraining the dragon. Another one of those gales from earlier passed through the cavern, and Jace realized that it had been this creature’s breathing.

  
    Jace immediately let out a great yell, terrified beyond all belief. This dragon, no, this _Old God_ , let out a defiant roar in response, flattening Jace against the nearest wall. Lusacan, Dragon of Night, stared down at the Inquisitor with powerful violet eyes. Jace looked down, and noticed that his companions were unconscious nearby. With one eye on the now silent Old God, Jace quickly roused them all. Each gasped and yelled at the sight of the beast, and Blackwall even tried to charge at it. As he got close, the manacles flared with a light brighter than the sun. The Grey Warden was flung back, but Jace managed to cushion his fall with magic. Dorian was staring up at the entity with awe, and even Bull was left speechless. Varric too looked stunned. Jace however, had had enough.

  
    “He cannot leave, bound as he is. Neither can he bring us harm. Blackwall, lower your weapon immediately. We are leaving,” Jace ordered.

  
    The group slowly filed out, each unwilling to disobey Jace. The mage watched the great God close its eyes to return to the slumberous prison. The Inquisitor loosed a sigh before rushing after his comrades. They followed one last tunnel out, before reaching the end. They stumbled out upon an Orlesian forest, no doubt on the other side of the map from Skyhold. Jace however stood in the exit of the tunnel, feeling somewhat unsure. As he lost himself in his thoughts, a feathery touch came to his mind, the work of a being steeped in magic not of this earth.

  
 _We shall meet again, young mage. Until then, step carefully._

  
    During the bizarre interaction of the Old God, Jace felt oddly reassured. As the man took the first step leaving the cavern, he felt a ghostly pair of lips caressing his neck, in the same spot Luc, no, Lusacan, had kissed earlier. When he looked back upon the direction they had come, a door now stood in its place. With a sound of raspy metal and a blaze of whirling light, a new stone door locked away the Old God Lusacan, until his Blight would come.

**Author's Note:**

> For all those who are unaware, Lusacan is the name of the seventh Old God, and will supposedly lead the last Blight. He is known as the Dragon of Night.


End file.
